The University Interscholastic League has postponed all athletic events schedule for the next week due to concerns about the H1N1 flu virus (swine flu) which has been reported in Texas.

With their first announcement on Wednesday, the UIL was going to cancel all the regional track meets scheduled for May 1 and 2 and reschedule the state meet for a week later. On second thought, the officials learned there was no room in Austin for the athletes to come May 17 and 18 because all the hotel space in town has been booked for the graduation exercises at the University of Texas.

Instead, on Thursday, the officials announced the regional track meets would be delayed until May 15 and 16 in most cases. Class A (Union Hill and Big Sandy) will be held at Palestine ISD May 15 and 16, while Class 2A (Union Grove, Harmony, New Diana and Ore City) will be held at Whitehouse ISD.

For the 24 athletes from Gilmer who were planning a trip this past week to Humble, they will make the trip to the Houston suburb May 15 and 16.

The state track meet has been rescheduled for Mike Meyers Field June 5 and 6, the same weekend that the state softball tournament was originally scheduled.

In addition to changing the track schedules, the match between Gilmer and Chapel Hill in Longview at 4 p.m. today (Saturday) remains in limbo. As of this writing, Coach Joey Hector does not know what revised schedule will be developed for baseball teams.

The Lady Eagles of Harmony are likewise being effected by the future changes in the softball competition when play resumes on May 11 or after.